NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The National Capital Region Transport Corporation and the Bharat Electronics Limited inked a memorandum of understanding on Saturday to develop indigenous platform screen doors, which act as a safety barrier between the passengers and tracks, under the self-reliant India scheme. According to an official in the NCRTC, which is tasked to implement the country’s first regional rapid transit system (RRTS), platform screen doors (PSD) are currently imported and that the new move will give an impetus to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India).
The official said the NCRTC and the BEL would indigenously develop the PSD system for the upcoming bus rapid transit system (BRTS), mass rapid transit system (MRTS), RRTS and high-speed rail projects in India, as well as abroad.
According to the NCRTC, besides helping in better crowd management at the stations, PSDs also prevent any untoward incidents like jumping or falling on the track. It not only helps in reducing the risks of accidents but also prevents suicides. The Delhi Metro has also installed PSDs at some of its stations.
“Existing metro systems are also realising the need to install PSDs for ensuring passenger safety. The NCRTC and BEL in collaboration will design and develop PSDs for different rail-based systems in India and abroad,” the official said. Asked when the indigenous PSDs would start coming, a source said the prototype would be ready in the next two-three years.
The 17-km priority corridor of the 82-km Delhi-Meerut RRTS from Sahibabad to Duhai in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh will be operational in 2023, and the entire corridor will be operational in 2025. The RRTS trains can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour.
In a statement, NCRTC managing director Vinay Kumar Singh said: “NCRTC is working continuously towards identifying items that are presently being imported for MRTS/RRTS/high-speed rail projects and make strategies to bring such technologies to India through RRTS project to trigger domestic capacity development.”
“Indigenous development of PSDs is one such step towards realising the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. Made in India PSDs will not only benefit the upcoming RRTS corridors but will also benefit the upcoming and existing BRTS/metro rail systems/high-speed rail projects of the country…,” Singh was quoted as saying in the statement.
In September, the Centre had unveiled the first look of the RRTS train whose design is inspired by the Lotus Temple in Delhi and can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor.
The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry had said with a radiating stainless steel outer body, the aerodynamic RRTS trains would be lightweight and fully air-conditioned. The other two-phase I RRTS corridors are Delhi-Gurgaon-SNB (Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror) and Delhi to Panipat in Haryana. According to the NCRTC, pre-construction activities are in full swing for Delhi-Gurgaon-SNB corridor and its detailed project report (DPR) is under active consideration of the Centre for sanction.
The DPR of the Delhi-Panipat RRTS corridor is also under active consideration of the respective state governments for approval, the NCRTC had said in September.
With inputs from PTI.
